The teacher greets Kailus and Shalius.
"Good evening, Kailus." Mr. Malikai reaches a hand to him.
Kailus shakes it. "Mornin' to you."
Shalius stretches her hand out. "Evening to you, Mr. Malikai. You're quick on your feet.."
He shakes her hand. "Pleasure for you, Shalius. My mother used to say I was Dracula in the way I scare her."
Kailus scratches his head. "Where do we start?"
"By sitting according to the previous placement that you've chosen. I'll be waiting to greet the others in the meantime."
The bell rings:
Alanze throws his arms up dramatically. "The audacity of these teachers and their punishments. I've been blinded and accused in one day, padre. One day! This is not a good day to have. Atleast, Buford showed some compassion and healed my salty wounds. This time, I will stand in their face and deliver my proclamation!" He speaks in an ancient, half-witted accent. "Whoever comes before the might of elves shall face the deceivery that comes from it!"
Alanze opens the door and is greeted by Malikai.
Alanze freezes on the spot.
His friends laugh from behind. "Alanze, why the long face?" "They're always one step ahead of you, Alanze. Gotta get better." "Geeze, is this what shock feels to others? You actually scared me."
Malikai pats Alanze's shoulders. "No time for that, Alanze; it's time for economy class."
As soon as Malikai touches his shoulder, Alanze jumps back with his hands up, ready to fight. "Dear God, you vampires are just as cunning as the kitsunés. You come behind the person without knowing and do this! Did you hear what I said in the hall?"
Malikai shakes his head. "No, I didn't hear what you said, and no; this is how I interact. I do not sugarcoat anything with jokes or any distractions. Please seat yourself where you were previously."
"If this is so, then have mercy on your mother. Leave the door open, as a suggestion to your untimely presence," Alanze begs.
Malikaii nods. "Will do," he says in his vacant, hollow voice.
Kailus whispers to Shalius. "I kinda want to talk to him. He's very charming."
Shalius stares at Alanze from afar. "We can invite him to our lunch tomorrow. He'll be a good replacement for her."
More and more students arrive, among them was Akiro. Shalius spots her, glaring her down like a stop sign.
Akiro, sensing her presence, returns the contact with a fierce expression.
Shalius' eyebrows furrow a bit before letting out a sigh.
"Something wrong," Kailus asks, staring deeply into her eyes.
"No, fairies do not harbor emotions," Shalius responds with a mild array of particular emotions.
Akiro sits down as the tension between them grows. Kailus stares with mild anger and sadness etched in his eyes, and Shalius avoids eye contact at all.
Akiro breaks the immersion. "Kailus; Shalius, we need to talk after class."
'Is she trying to set us up?'
Kailus stares blankly at the desk, slightly giving Akiro a piece of his answer. "No, I have mana practice today."
Akiro persists. "It's urgent!"
Kailus stands his ground. "Sorry, but I can't."
Akiro turns to Shalius. "Shalius, speak with me in the library."
Shalius diverts the conversation. "No, let's go to the forest—somewhere far enough to have no ears or cameras surveilling us."
Akiro nods eagerly. "That'll do."
Shalius searches Akiro's mind. 'I see no ill foul within her, but I still take precaution as memory is chaotic in nature. It's just a babble of erotic arts, fetishes, dreaming about sex, and other perverse subjects. To keep my sanity, I should use control magic sparingly towards Akiro.'
Malikai announces. "Now that the top row is finally settled, we can start the lesson."
He paces around with his hands tucked beneath his back. "Greetings, students! My name is Mr. Malikai. I am your economics teacher. Today, I'll teach you the basics of life. Everyone please come down and grab a watch from my desk."
Shalius raises his hand. "Do we really have to use technology? We couldn't use magic or any alternatives?"
Malikai snaps at her. "There's no time for that. It is time for life."
'Fairies and their hatred for technology. Just because strength races can catch up, they've been nail and bone against it. Thought that ended in the 1930s.'
They each grab a watch from the cardboard box.
After everyone's seated, Malikai informs them. "The watch will display your career, the amount of money you have, and—" Suddenly a red pointer aims at Malikai's head as a shot echoes throughout the room. "This marks the end of class. Have a good day."
The students leave the room, half-fulfilled.
"What's the meaning of the loud shot?"
"Why are you roleplaying?"
"Isn't he a teacher? He barely taught us anything."
Questions, demands, and even insults are hurled at Malikai, yet his face remains emotionless.
Kailus leaves the room in a rush and heads toward Gothic City, Valoran.
Gothic City:
(Fun fact: Gothic City is known as a subsidiary nation within Angelica.)
Kailus lands at the Count Palace with his hands on his knees, panting heavily. 'I thought I was lost for a moment.'
The guards approach Kailus.
"Kailus, are you alright?" the male guard asks, holding out a hand.
Kailus takes the hand and lifts himself back up. "Thank you, sir."
The female guard bows her head. "Empress Lascuda demands your presence. Be there immediately."
"Oh, I didn't mean to be late. It's that college and other stuff came before—"
"She'll be informed of it later on. Hurry."
Inside:
The entrance room is cozy like always. Two white benches lay infront of each other, tucked against the walls. A coat hanger stands in the corner, with 7 of its 8 hooks in use. A crystal chandelier hovers over the room, its luminous white light illuminating it.
A butler stands infront of the next door. He has a black vest with a white interior and a grey outline. His pants are filled with tiny vivid red and white stripes, and his hair pushed back in an 'M' shape. His glasses were thin, wavy lenses implemented for fashion, and he held himself like a true gentleman. His left hand remained tucked behind his back while his right held a handkerchief.
He bows infront of Kailus. His voice, short of elegance and bold in language, carries a somewhat irritation to it, as if he's been standing here for quite a while. "Hello, sir, we've been waiting. Please come with me to the dining hall."
"I'm full."
"Are you positive?"
"Yes."
"Queen Lascuda demands your hunger be of no problem, but if you say so, my actions shall have no consequences."
He guides Kailus around the castle, as maids and butlers hurriedly run down the halls.
"If it's in my level of permission, what's with the hurry on them?"
"There'll be a party soon in celebration of Queen Lascuda's four-hundred-and-forty-ninth birthday."
'Why do I always forget the important things?'
They reach an elegant door at the end of the hall. The butler knocks three times.
"Enter," a voice says from behind the door, bringing shivers to Kailus' bones.
'Why am I still afraid of her?'
His halo starts to flash purple as his heart thumps steadily.
"Scared, sir?" The butler says, raising an eyebrow.
"Maybe," Kailus quietly says, staring at the doorknob. "Or not…"
He opens the door and is greeted by no other than Lascuda, the Vampire Empress.
She sits on her throne, emotionless as always. "My sweet little boy is back."
She teleports in infront of him, her tall appearance overwhelming the room.
(For context: Kailus is 5'5.)
She wore a gothic dress, adorned with jewelry and glitter, leaving no room for skin to be shown. She wears these long, silk, black gloves with fluff on the inside and silk outside.
Being a 6'4 ancient princess, her face never swayed from the 30s. Her body proportions grew to be plump yet her body remained somewhat muscular.
Her white hair flew in waves down her dress into her immaculate curves. Her reddish eyes pierce through the skin and into the organs of whoever catches their gaze.
She picks Kailus up, holding his frail body near her neck. "I remember when I saw you for the first time. Ah, you have to see the shock on my face. A charge Genesis Angel. You looked so exotic and cute that I nearly squished you. I'll always remember when you stare at me in silence, most of the time without blinking."
Kailus turns his head away.
Empress Lascuda pats his back. "Now, now, don't give me that face. I'll be gentle this time. But just incase, I have a blood IV on standby."
'N-ne-needles. Ew, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.'
Kailus nervously nods. "I-I'm ready when you are."
Queen Lascuda says, "In your mark: 3, 2, 1, go."
She sank her fangs into his neck, sucking his blood at a slow pace, yet Kailus' aura outweighed her vampiric desire.
Lascuda up the anti, sucking more intensely.. more violently. The blood flow remained intact.
Lascuda drinks to her heart's content, barely able to push past the healing aura. Kailus uses a small dose of healing magic.
'W-what is this? How is he keeping up?' Lascuda mutters.
She removes her fangs, letting out a loud burp. "Pardon me. That healing aura is too potent. I didn't expect it to have this much effect on you. Last month, you required most of your mana to even survive this stage. The aura is increasing rapidly."
She lies on the ground. "My intestines are really pumping out."
Kailus sits beside her head, twirling a strand of her hair "So Teacher, I wanted to ask a question."
Lascuda gives a faint smile. "Go on child, I'm listening."
"How do you not…"—Kailus looks around the room before turning back to Lascuda—"die? You lived for hundreds of years? Don't you have an age limit?"
Lascuda laughs at him. "Dear, I'm an immortal vampire. I don't perish by age; I perish by lack of resources. If my body isn't circulated with enough blood, my organs would collapse. Like a crocodile, I'm immortal just as long as I'm provided blood, food, and water. It's truly a blessing to have allies such as the angels. I probably would've died in 1865."
"Do you ever think of dying?"
Lascuda pauses for a moment. "It doesn't sound all that bad to me. I'm not suicidal in anyway whatsoever, and I'm not bored nor stressed at having the responsibilities before me. Living for centuries to see my husband fall, the smiles of the past generation becoming wrinkles and withering away, and the friends I held so dear lay on death's door. The smiles of the next generation are the only ones whose kept my sanity. Though I'd love to visit my dead citizens, it's gonna be a long way before I ever see them."
Kailus lies on the floor beside her, holding her tightly. "Don't be so negative. You have me and I'll stay by your side. Don't go."
Lascuda smiles, hugging back. "I won't, dear."
Bohemian Forest:
The forest is filled with trees whose roots bend in a U-shape. They're as thick as an oak tree and tall like a widow tree—huddling together in bunches in a thick, obscure fog. Had they not been walking on a path, they would've been lost.
'Out of all the forests we have, why this creepy ass place? Is she one of those edgelords? Oh, I can imagine it.'
Shalius stops in her tracks.
Before Akiro can say a word, she gets lifted by an unknown force and suspended in the air.
Her eyes begin to swell as her face reddens from the pressure building in her throat. Her hands try to grasp anything—anything that could help her in some way or form.
Shalius grasps the mana orb in her left hand while her right hand lifts Akiro.
Akiro's heart beats rapidly, faster than she ever felt in her life. Her lungs expand upwards, more violently, pressing against the ribcage, begging for release. "Sha-li-us, wha-t ar-e y-ou—"
"Akiro, I will say this one time and only once. If you ever pull that trick again, I will annihilate you. Comprehended?" Shalius says with a blunt expression.
Akir nods up and down vigorously. 'I can't breathe. Let go. Let go.. let go…'
Shalius slams her down onto the ground. Blood splatters onto the pavement, leaving rashes and sores across Akiro's body.
Akiro groans and coughs up blood. Her eyes barely able to make up the surroundings. She looks up at Shalius, with a low, almost silent, plea. "Shalius, I'm only here to warn you. Kailus is in trouble."
Shalius stands infront of her. She crushes the mana orb and sprinkles it across her body, closing every wound on her body. "I know. I came here to say: know your place and do better when intentionally planning to foil your own roommates," she echoes into her mind before teleporting away.
'If she knew, why is she so damn brutal about it. Great, just as I want. Alone in this creepy ass forest. Doesn't she know her lust will lead into becoming a tool for him?'
Akiro gets up and walks the trail back to the college, as the sun dims in the distance.
Day 1 of college ends.
When Akiro return to the campus, it's evening as the sun begin to hide. Shalius met her by the door.
Akiro was exhausted to a point of collapsing. "Do you know how long it took?" She said, her voice raspy. Her legs bend, ready to sit down.
"4 hours of walking," Shalius answers. "That was your training."
Akiro huffs and lays down in the sidewalk. "Thank God!"
Kailus arrives later in the night with groceries, coming home to a pitch-black room. He packs the remaining food in the fridge before heading off into his dorm.